Individuals who lead a largely sedentary lifestyle burn relatively few calories during the day compared with more active individuals. If you are active during the day (work at a physically strenuous job or exercise frequently), you will need to cut fewer calories from your diet in order to lose weight. Alternately, if you are largely sedentary (work at a desk and seldom exercise), you will need to cut more calories from your diet.
So, if the 180-pound person is active and eating 2,160 calories a day, then they would cut out 324 calories from their daily intake, or 15% of 2,160. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, plan to cut closer to 25% of your daily caloric intake. The same person, if they are sedentary, would cut out 540 calories from their daily intake, or 25% of 2,160. It’s important to cut the right amount of calories, but it’s just as important to eat a wide variety of whole, nutritionally dense foods. Eating a low-calorie diet of processed, unhealthy foods will lead to poor nutrition and hunger, making it hard to continue on the diet.
Check the labels on each individual ingredient you use, and use that to roughly calculate the calories in a meal. You will need to keep track of the amount of each ingredient you use, and then total the number of calories.
You’ll also be able to identify spots in your diet where you can cut further. For example, if you have a tendency to have a large dessert after dinner, or to have a calorie-heavy brunch on weekends, your food diary can help you identify and correct those trends. Use a food tracker app on your smartphone, like MyFitnessPal, or a pen and paper journal.
If you’re losing weight too slowly, consider cutting an extra 5% of your calorie intake. If you’re losing weight more quickly than anticipated, constantly hungry, or having difficulty maintaining the low-calorie diet, consider adding back 5% of your calorie intake.
To burn large numbers of calories, focus on aerobic exercises. Jogging or running and rowing are effective, as they raise your heart rate and circulation. If you’re substantially reducing your calorie intake, you will have less energy to expend on exercise. Stop exercising immediately if you begin to feel light headed or nauseous.
For example, instead of a sugary cereal for breakfast, have a bowl of oatmeal. Grains such as brown or black rice are flavorful and provide great fiber.
Eating vegetables will make it easier to consume fewer calories in day, but still feel full at the same time.
Only 20 – 35% of your daily caloric intake should come from fats. [8] X Research source It is important to note that fats are still an important part of your diet and should not be completely eliminated. Unsaturated fats include olives, nuts, and seeds, and oils made from these foods (such as olive oil). To decrease sugar intake, drink water, flavored water, or tea instead of soda. Since much of the flavor in fatty foods comes from the fat itself, cutting back on fat consumption can reduce the amount of flavor you eat. To counter this, especially if you’re cooking your own meals, try adding more spices for flavor. While it’s fine to eat dairy and drink milk on a low-calorie diet, try to find low-fat dairy products.
Complex carbohydrates often go well in soup. For example, a soup with brown rice and non-starchy vegetables will be high in complex carbs and low in fat. Water-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and soups are an excellent choice for those wanting to consume less calories, but still feel satisfied. The water in these types of foods helps fill you up without the added calories. Try eating a broth-based (and not cream-based) soup before your dinner so you fill up on the soup before you start eating the calorie dense main dish.
10 – 35% of your daily calorie intake should come from proteins. [11] X Research source Legumes like beans and lentils are also an excellent source of protein, and they contain relatively little fat. [12] X Research source
